Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Rights of Way: Metherell

Lord Teverson: To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to make a determination on WCA 547 Modification Order 2021 regarding the addition of a footpath and a restricted byway at Metherell in the Parish of Calstock, Cornwall.

Lord Benyon: The Planning Inspectorate administer rights of way casework for Defra. We are unable to comment on individual cases, to avoid prejudicing the outcome, and individual timescales can vary considerably.

Department of Health and Social Care

Gender Dysphoria: Health Services

Lord Triesman: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Markham on 19 April (HL Deb col 671), what are thelegal remedies available in (1) criminal or civil law, or in (2) relevant employment contracts, for staff failing to keep or report medical data on the whole patient cohort which attended the Gender Identity Development Service.

Lord Markham: National Health Service providers are expected to handle all medical data in line with data protection and data retention policies and comply with reporting requirements placed on them by NHS England. The Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust Gender Identity Development Service (GIDS) for children and young people are commissioned on the terms of the NHS Standard Contract. These terms are mandated and include standard escalation and contract management terms applicable across NHS clinical services.

Whooping Cough: Vaccination

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government whatdata are collected on rates of uptake of the pertussis vaccine among healthcare workers.

Lord Markham: The United Kingdom Health Security Agency does not collect data on rates of uptake of the pertussis vaccine among healthcare workers.

National Women's Prisons Health and Social Care Review

Lord Bradley: To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect the report of the National Women’s Prisons Health and Social Care Review to be published.

Lord Markham: NHS England has advised that they are working with their partners to finalise the review and anticipate publication will be during the Summer of 2023.

Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support (1) research, and (2) clinical interventions in all NHS settings, to facilitate a reduction in the incidence of spontaneous coronary artery dissection.

Lord Markham: The Department is funding research on spontaneous coronary artery disease through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre are investigating the genetic risks of Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection to improve treatment and prevention of the condition.In March 2022, NHS England launched the Aortic Dissection Toolkit which sets out key actions that commissioners, service providers and clinicians should take to improve the care of patients with acute aortic dissection. The toolkit covers all aspects of care from recognition and diagnosis of the condition to treatment.In addition, the National Health Service has also made changes to NHS Pathways, the triage system used by NHS 111 and 999, to help improve the recognition of chest pain likely to be associated with aortic dissection. This will assist in the rapid diagnosis of the condition to help save lives.

Suicide: Men

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce the incidence of suicide amongst young men.

Lord Markham: We are investing an additional £57 million in suicide prevention, including for young men, by March 2024 through the NHS Long Term Plan. This will see investment in all areas of the country to support local suicide prevention plans. This was supplemented in 2021/22 by providing over £550,000 of funding to the Local Government Association for a support programme to help local authorities strengthen their plans and an additional £5.4 million of funding, distributed to 113 suicide prevention voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSE) through the Suicide Prevention Grant Fund to support service delivery.In addition, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the Spring Budget that we will assign an extra £10 million over the next two years for a Suicide Prevention VCSE Grant Fund. This competitive grant fund will support the suicide prevention VCSE sector to deliver activity that can help sustain their services to help meet increased demand for support, or to embed preventative activity that can help to prevent suicides and stem the flow into crisis services.

Antibiotics: Prescriptions

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the delivery plan for recovering access to primary care published on 9 May, what steps theyare taking to ensurethat the training provided to pharmacists and pharmacy staff equips them with the necessary skills to prescribe antibiotics.

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the delivery plan for recovering access to primary care published on 9 May, whatmeasures are in place to ensure proper monitoring and surveillance when community pharmacists prescribe antibiotics.

Lord Markham: The delivery plan for recovering access to primary care will enable community pharmacies to supply prescription-only medicines for seven common conditions under Patient Group Directions (PGDs). PGDs are written instructions enabling certain health care professionals to supply or administer medicines to patients without a prescription. Any pharmacy offering this service will have to declare they are competent to deliver the service and pharmacists supplying medicines under PGDs must have undertaken the training set out in those specific PGDs.Antimicrobial stewardship is a priority for the Government and NHS England. Action to embed antimicrobial stewardship principles in community pharmacy teams has formed part of the Pharmacy Quality Scheme in the National Health Service contractual arrangements.The supply of antibiotics under the new service will be monitored by collecting and analysing data about the supply of medicines, including antibiotics, in the same way that data is collected on prescribing in general practice.In addition, in May, the National Institute for Health and Care Research issued a research call for a robust wrap around evaluation of the Pharmacy First service to understand its impact, safety, cost effectiveness, acceptability and implications for antibiotic use and antimicrobial resistance.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Vaccination

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation Main Committee meeting on 7 June, whether the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has recommended the extension of the respiratory syncytial virus immunisation programme to protect all infants; and if so, whether they plan to implement that programme ahead of the coming winter.

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation Main Committee meeting on 7 June, whether the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has recommended that a respiratory syncytial virus immunisation programme be offered to older adults; and if so, whether they plan to implement that programme ahead of this winter.

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation Main Committee meeting on 7 June, whether they expect to accept the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s recommendation regarding a respiratory syncytial virus immunisation programme; and if so, when.

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation Main Committee meeting on 7 June, what discussions have taken place between the Department of Health and Social Care and NHS England to ensure rapid implementation of a respiratory syncytial virus immunisation programme; and if none, when if at all these will start.

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation Main Committee meeting on 7 June, what discussions have taken place between the Department of Health and Social Care and vaccine manufacturers to secure supply of respiratory syncytial virus immunisations for this winter; and if none, when if at all these will start.

Lord Markham: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), is actively reviewing new and emerging products to provide immunisation against Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). Any advice agreed on during the JCVI meeting on 7 June 2023 will be published shortly. Once the JCVI has published its advice, the Government will consider this carefully, based on the evidence and scientific position.Once advice has been considered, the Government will stand up any new or expanded RSV programme as soon as is practicable, this includes any conversations with manufacturers of immunisation products as well as NHS England to operationalise a potential new or expanded programme.

Treasury

Mortgages: Interest Rates

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of recent increases in fixed-term mortgage interest rates.

Baroness Penn: The pricing and availability of mortgages is a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene. However, if mortgage holders do fall into financial difficulty, Financial Conduct Authority guidance requires firms to offer tailored support. This could include a range of measures depending on individual circumstances. The Government have also taken a number of measures aimed at helping people to avoid repossession, including Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans for those in receipt of an income-related benefit, and protection in the courts through the Pre-Action Protocol, which makes it clear that repossession must always be the last resort for lenders.

Mortgages: Arrears and Repossession Orders

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any increase in (1) homeowner mortgage arrears, and (2) house repossession orders as a result of homeowner mortgage arrears, since the rise in interest rates began in December 2021; and whether they have had any recent discussions with mortgage lenders to discuss concerns over rising mortgage arrears.

Baroness Penn: HM Treasury is regularly in contact with mortgage lenders on all aspects of their mortgage business to understand their position and current lending conditions, including at a roundtable hosted by the Chancellor on this topic in December. Mortgage arrears and repossessions remain below pre-pandemic levels. However, where mortgage borrowers do fall in financial difficulty, Financial Conduct Authority guidance requires firms to offer tailored support. This could include a range of measures depending on individual circumstances. The Government has also taken a number of measures aimed at helping people to avoid repossession, including Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) loans for those in receipt of an income-related benefit, and protection in the courts through the Pre Action Protocol, which makes it clear that repossession must always be the last resort for lenders.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Gambling: Credit Cards

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent gambling from an e-wallet, such as PayPal, where the money was loaded from a credit card.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they have in placeto prevent the purchase of lottery tickets and scratchcards with credit cards.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: It is not possible to use a credit card to play the National Lottery online or via the National Lottery smartphone application.Licence conditions for gambling operators make clear that, where businesses take deposits via an electronic wallet, they must ensure that the money was not loaded from a credit card. If they cannot verify this, they must not accept the deposit.Shoppers can use credit cards to buy National Lottery and society lottery products in retailers, recognising the lower risk posed by lottery products relative to other gambling products – along with the controls which are already in place, such as the training provided to retailers.There are currently no plans to change this position under the 4th National Lottery licence but, in any case, the licence increases player protection requirements.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe

Lord Bowness: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to secure an agreement within theOrganization for Security and Co-operation in Europe on (1) a budget, and (2) a Chair-in-Office, for 2024.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We recognise the challenges faced by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) as a result of Russia's weaponisation of the consensus principle, including delaying critical decisions on the budget and 2024 Chair. We fully support the efforts of current Chair, North Macedonian Foreign Minister Osmani, to reach an agreement on next year's budget and to alleviate immediate financial pressures. We are also working closely with like-minded countries on options for reaching consensus on next year's chair.

Kosovo: Serbia

Lord Bowness: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current situation between Serbia and Kosovo.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We condemned the unprovoked attack on NATO troops in northern Kosovo on 29 May and, alongside our partners, are calling on Serbia and Kosovo to take immediate steps to de-escalate and return to dialogue. The Foreign Secretary reiterated these messages when he spoke to the Kosovo Prime Minister on 8 June, as did the Prime Minister's Envoy, Lord Peach when he spoke to President Vucic on 7 June. I [Lord Ahmad] discussed the current tensions with Kosovo's Foreign Minister on 8 June.